Maxx Crosby Upset After NFL ‘Forced’ Him to Take Off Pink Cleats with Daughter's Name During Game

Maxx Crosby is putting his foot down.

The Las Vegas Raiders star, 28, voiced his frustration with the NFL after he claimed the league was "forcing" him to take off his custom pink cleats during his team's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Crosby recalled the incident on his The Rush podcast on Tuesday, Dec. 16, explaining that he was wearing custom pink Jordan 11's that had the name of his 3-year-old daughter, Ella Rose, on the front.

"The NFL was crying and forcing me to take my shoes off," Crosby claimed on the episode during his recap of the game, which ended in a 31-0 drubbing by the Eagles.

The defensive end, who welcomed daughter Ella with wife Rachel Washburn in October 2022, said the shoes were "one of ones" and "something I wanted to get done" before the season started.

"I definitely wanted one of my daughter's," the dad of two continued on the podcast. "And it says Ella on the front of them. They are freaking cold. So, I was like, 'I am wearing them.' Regardless of what they say. I will take the fine, I do not care."

Crosby said he "did not know" the shoes would be an issue, and claimed that officials "did not say anything in warm-ups" before the game started on Sunday. Therefore, he kept them on until he was told otherwise.

"Then I go out there and play the first couple of series, and they did not say anything," he recalled. "I go out for the next one, and I notice one of our guys, Nico, one of our equipment guys, is on the sideline, and he is literally holding the white cleats under his arm."

Crosby said he knew at that point that he would have to swap out his shoes.

"I know they called about my cleats," he said. "I went up to Nico, and he said they are going to take you out of the game if you do not change your cleats. So I went out there, and my last play in those cleats, I got a sack, and I ran straight to the sidelines and took them off."

PEOPLE reached out to NFL for comment, but didn't immediately hear back.

Crosby said he kept his custom Jordan 11's "next to me" after removing them on the sidelines.

With his eldest daughter still top of mind, the proud dad said the cleats are going to be "signed" and "put in her room," adding that he had an "extra" pair made for her, so they can match together.

"She has been walking around with them and looking at them, and she loves them," he said. "So, I had to represent."

Per the official 2025 NFL rulebook, there are a strict set of rules players must follow regarding footwear. "A player may wear shoes that are black, white, or any Constitutional team color, or any combination of black, white, and a Constitutional team color," the rulebook states.

Later in the podcast, Crosby said he's "going to talk to my guy Roger" when he sees him after the season, referencing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

"I am definitely going to have to sit down," he said.

Crosby then compared the NFL to the NBA in terms of individuality between players and self-expression.

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"The way they express themselves is like their signature shoes and what they are rocking on their feet. The jerseys are one thing, but the shoes can be anything," he said of players in the NBA.

"You want to see who is rocking the best shoes and who has got the brightest, craziest, dopest shoes... I just feel like that is something football is missing," the football star said, adding, "And they are way too old school with that approach."